


Revelations

by LilahLuck



Category: Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe, Multi, Religious Imagery & Symbolism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-08-29 06:51:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8479426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilahLuck/pseuds/LilahLuck
Summary: Avenged Sevenfold died, all of them except Johnny Christ who ends up in a hospital for the mentally unstable. Insane maybe but Johnny just knows that everything is about to change and the Four Horsemen of A7X will ride forth...





	1. Asylum

“It’s a very interesting case.”  
Claire nodded absently, eyeing the size of the folder that the lead psychiatrist was holding. She had been in America a year to study for her doctorate and this would be her first case that she would lead on. It was exciting and intimidating at the same time and not helped by the imposing Victorian building in Huntingdon Beach that held the secure psychiatric unit. Their feet echoed on the stone tile floors as they headed along the corridor. Splashes of light only came in stages, the stained glass of the windows adding a rainbow of colour.  
“Mr Seward isn’t violent, don’t worry. He was transferred here because he started self-harming.”  
“How badly?”  
Dr Mason smiled and waved the folder before pointing Claire to an interview room. He liked that she was taking on this case, the young woman with violet hair had great potential and he hoped that Johnny would respond better to a shrink that didn’t look like a shrink. After shutting the door they took a seat in the bolted down plastic chairs. The furniture consisted of two on either side of a similarly bolted chair, there was nothing in the room that could be used as a weapon.  
“Johnny Seward, aged….28 now. He is a former bassist for a renowned rock band that was involved in a tragic accident a couple of years ago. Three of his friends died, killed outright and that was only a year after they had lost their drummer. Quite tragic and it seemed at first that Johnny would die too but physically he recovered quite well.”  
Claire looked at the photos. The band seemed to have been heavy metal and she wondered what they had sounded like. A short man with an impressive Mohican had been ringed in red pen so she presumed that was Johnny. Scanning the other faces was a little sad, all of them were young and very handsome in a way that she had always found attractive. Inked and muscled arms, cute guyliner and a lot of pouting. The other photos were less attractive, the mangled remains of what had once been a bus and several pictures of Johnny in plaster and traction.  
“He was in a coma for three weeks and in rehab when the first signs of psychosis occurred.”  
She picked up the band photo and looked at Mason.  
“Psychosis after severe head injury isn’t uncommon.”  
“True, at first he was treated in the community as he got stronger physically and all looked good. Then about eighteen months ago he was found on top of a bridge threatening to jump and has steadily descended into a deep state of paranoia which we can’t seem to stop.”  
The young woman read the notes, a list of medications and referrals that got increasingly detailed. She had wanted a case to get her teeth into and this was definitely it. A shiver of excitement rippled up her back and she tried to keep it out of her voice.  
“Schizophrenia was ruled out?”  
Dr Mason nodded, he wanted to see where she would take this once she met Johnny.  
“Yes. Johnny hears voices but they are not distinct personalities to him and are not present all the time.”  
Claire turned over the next set of photos and stopped, a gasp in her voice.  
“Oh….well now.”  
There before her lay drawings done in crayon, quite well executed of four horses. Each had a single word scrawled above them and more worryingly, below were pictures of a man’s stomach with the words bloodily inscribed into his stomach.  
WHITE  
RED  
BLACK  
PALE  
“The mounts of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.”  
Dr Mason smiled, Claire had been the first to immediately pick up the reference.  
“Yes. Johnny believes his dead band mates are about to return….as the four horsemen.”  
Claire looked up at him.  
“Interesting idea.”  
“He started displaying this quite early on. Said that Michael told him that his friends had been chosen and would herald the end times. Said that Johnny had to prepare the way.”  
“Michael?”  
“The Archangel Michael.”  
Claire rearranged the pictures, seeing more names inscribed on his hip and several biblical references. While it wasn’t unusual to see psychosis present in the form of biblical visions, from what she could see this was an extreme case.  
“So he thinks the second coming is nigh as well?”  
Mason tented his fingers and leant forward. There had been another reason for bringing the girl in. The orderlies had become scared of Johnny, the boy was never violent but several had reported being grabbed by unseen hands and showed the scratches to prove it. That upset Johnny greatly and he had been begging for release so he could do as Michael asked him.  
“Johnny is appalled by all of it. He says Matt knew a lot about religion and wasn’t a fan while he knew nothing until the accident. Even now he has never held a bible and yet can quote it with absolute accuracy and with some interesting differences from common doctrine. What do you know of Revelations and the horsemen?”  
Claire thought for a moment, trying hard to remember long ago religious studies lessons. The little room seemed to have grown colder and she wondered why a shiver of fear was going up her back. She had been in the same room of some very dangerous lunatics during her training without worry and yet there was something about the sweet faced boy that put her on edge. Shrugging off the feeling Claire listed them on her fingers.  
“Ummm…..Pestilence, War, Famine and Death. I think that’s it.”  
“Yes although Johnny and some scholars interpret it a little differently.”  
Now Mason reached into his jacket and produced four more pictures. He lay the first down and Claire looked at a handsome young man with pretty cheekbones. He oozed sexuality and she found a smile on her face.  
“Brian Haner Jnr or as Johnny calls him, Syn. He believes that this man will be the first rider. Johhny interprets like some scholars and calls him Conquest rather than Pestilence.”  
Another photo came across of a broad shouldered young man with a dimpled smile.  
“Matt Sanders. The second rider according to Johnny. War.”  
Claire found her heart was hammering as she took in a third picture. This young man was beautiful with full lips and piercings.  
“Zacky Baker….Famine traditionally but Johnny sees him as holding the scales of justice.”  
There was a pause. Mason was also feeling the same atmosphere in the room and it seemed to build right before he looked at the last picture. It had happened before in his office and even with Johnny, the small man terrified and yet yearning to see his friend again.  
“The former drummer. Jimmy Sullivan also known as The Rev which is apt. The rider on the pale horse is death.”  
Claire stared, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. The man in the picture wore a broad smile and had bright blue eyes. There was nothing threatening in any of the pictures but suddenly she was scared again and couldn’t understand why. She forced her gaze up to look at the doctor in front of her. He was in his fifties and everything people thought of when they thought of a shrink with perfect grey hair and friendly eyes.  
“You said he has no biblical knowledge?”  
“If he does its more than three years old and yet he remembers it all.”  
Claire gathered up all the papers and photos and returned them to the folder.  
“Medications?”  
Mason smiled, seeing that she was fighting off the unease.  
“Clozapine and Seroquel. Not that it helps. He continues to self harm with anything he can get his hands on and is becoming increasingly agitated as the 25th of this month approaches.”  
“Why is that?”  
Again Claire felt herself shiver, the certain tone in her colleagues voice made it worse.  
“Michael told him that’s when the first seal will be broken and the first rider will arrive.”


	2. Johnny

Johnny liked looking at his new shrink.  
She was very pretty, wide eyed and with violet hair that she pulled into a messy bun for work. He had glimpsed tattoos and noticed that she always wore black. He had stored the information away for later and played the game he had become accustomed to with shrinks. Tell them what they want to hear and do a lot of nodding. It was harder when the voices got insistent or when Michael visited but Johnny hoped that it would lead to release. In that regard he had two problems.  
One : Johnny was as sane as the next guy.  
Two : He needed to be out by the next Thursday and today was already Friday.  
Awkward.  
“How are you today Johnny?”  
“Great thanks.”  
Claire watched the boy. It was impossible not to like the guy, there was something endearing about the friendly puppy dog smile and he had proved to be interesting company quite apart from his psychosis. Over their two weeks of sessions he had told her more about his friends and their lives before the accident. They had discussed his rehabilitation and Johnny knew that sooner or later they would discuss what happened after and she would write him off as crazy.  
It had seemed crazy to Johnny at first. When they had first woke him up with the news of his broken bones, skull fracture and the devastating loss of the guys he had loved as brothers Johnny had allowed the grief to overtake him in a great wave. It was worse than with Jimmy, he had been surrounded by Matt and Syn and Zack, able to cope because he could lean on them and they leaned on him. In this new world he had felt so alone.  
Until the day Michael showed up.  
It had been four months after the accident and he had moved in with his girlfriend’s parents to try and rebuild his life as his physical injuries healed. Johnny had decided that the only way he could cope was to do as he had done with losing Jimmy. He would carry on and take his friends with him, he would get fit and make music with the flood of people that had known the band on the circuit and had offered to jam. It was one of those he had thought was at the door when the bell rang one afternoon. He had rushed to open it and his smile had become bemused.  
“Can I help you?”  
The tall man on his doorstep turned back and looked at him. They were roughly the same age but this guy was a fair bit taller and rail thin with glasses perched on an intelligent face. He wore black skinny jeans and a Metallica shirt, his gaze making Johnny shiver.  
“You most certainly can Johnny.”  
“Do I know you?”  
“My name is Michael, you can call me Mikey. How about we go for a coffee?”  
Johnny had found himself agreeing, grabbing the crutches he still needed without thinking about it. He hadn’t been out since the accident and winced as they took the first steps down the street. Mikey didn’t help him, watching the short man struggle until they turned a corner. The next road left to the café near the beachfront and it was warm, usually the place would have been packed with people but now it was mysteriously empty.  
“Hold on a minute.”  
Johnny gasped, the smile on Mikey’s face was quite beautiful as he leant down and ran his hands over the splints and fractures in Johnny’s legs. There was a deep warmth climbing up his body, a feeling of such hope and relief that Johnny found tears in his eyes. Mikey stood up and took the crutches from him, allowing Johnny to walk forward. He gazed at the other man, his voice tight as he realised that there was no pain from anywhere, he felt…well. It was inexplicable and yet he felt no fear only an intense curiosity.  
“How did you do that?”  
Mikey shrugged, an amused hint in his eyes.  
“I need you healthy and you have shown strength in suffering as your friends said you would.”  
Johnny stared, carefully following as the tall man headed on towards the café. The conversation that followed would have been ridiculous to the outside world but Johnny had not been able to see it as anything but truth. The Archangel Michael was a thin gothy kid in glasses who had come to tell him that he, Johnny Christ, would break the first seal and unleash the four horsemen. Who were his dead friends.  
It did sound nuts but Johnny knew, just knew, that it was true.  
He had spent something like a week with Mikey, learning about what would come and somehow seeing that everything had led to this one point. His friends had been exceptional, talented and it had been the worst part for Johnny to see their lives and promise stripped away. Except now he knew they had been taken for a higher purpose and so had he.   
Except Johnny and Mikey found there were glitches.  
The “other side” was fucking with them.  
Hence the need to score bloody words into his skin. His mind would empty of the important things he needed to know and dark shadowy figures and possessed addicts tried to kill him. He hadn’t wanted to throw himself off the bridge at all, the police had actually saved his life and Mikey had told him to play along. It would be safer to be in an enclosed space where no human could be forced in to get at him. Johnny was terrified of the other patients but nobody messed with him and Michael made sure the drugs they fed him had no effect. Now all he had to do was find a way out and open the seal. Then he would see Syn again.  
“Johnny?”  
Claire stared at him as the boy shook himself back to the present.  
“I asked if you had any friends in here.”  
“A couple. Lily is nice and so is Mad George.”  
Claire giggled at the nickname for an elderly resident who was indeed very mad. The other name bothered her more. She had only seen Lily from a distance, a violent and somewhat haunted old woman with wild hair that she had not expected to be a friend of the short man. She made a note of it on the pad and mentally so that she could ask the other doctors about the other patient. From what she had read the woman was dangerous, known to attack doctors and anyone else within reach from time to time and she didn’t want Johnny’s rehabilitation to be interrupted with that kind of malice.  
“What do you talk about?”  
“All manner of things.”  
Johnny stared at Claire, unwilling to give anything away that would prevent the plan that was growing in his mind. He could use the lady to get out, force her to help him if he needed to, Michael said he could do that but only if really necessary and Johnny didn’t want to force anyone but it was important he be at the right place. However bad that escape would become it would be in the grand plan and therefore he had to make sure that he followed it through.  
“I am glad you socialise. Do your friends visit?”  
Johnny was about to nod as the lights above flickered. He smiled.  
“Ma and Pa sometimes….”  
Claire glanced up in annoyance as the lights flickered again.  
“Anyone else?”  
The lights went out. Johnny could feel the energy in the room changing as the blackness swirled about him. He wasn’t scared, this wasn’t a threat, there was nothing that could seriously hurt him while under Michael’s protection and he knew now that Claire was important to his mission too and would have to come with him. Her voice sounded calm and controlled as he heard her move towards the intercom.  
“Don’t panic Johnny, the backup should kick in.”  
“I’m fine Claire.”  
She paused, her eyes widening at the power that seemed to slap her in the face at his words. Claire was scared, more so when the lights came back on and Lily was somehow in the room and standing behind Johnny, her hand on the chair. He was smiling and shrugged sadly at her as the lights flashed off again and the room plunged into darkness.  
“Don’t worry, it’s the enemy but they can’t touch us here.”  
“The enemy?”  
Claire felt relief flow through her as the lights came back on, there was nobody else in the room and she decided that she clearly hadn’t seen the other patient, just the flashing glare playing tricks with her mind. It was disconcerting but Claire knew that these places could do that, there were many reports among the textbooks of the mental suggestion that asylums could produce.  
Johnny still sat opposite her, his hands folded but she noticed a red mark on the side of his face. There was no concern in his expression but Claire was chilled. The marks looked suspiciously like fingernails, growing redder and more pronounced under her gaze. She looked again at his hands. His nails were short, the fingers calloused from long years of playing bass but nothing to make the thin scrapes.  
“What did you do to your face?”  
Johnny said nothing and merely smiled as Claire turned to call for medical help.


	3. Departure

The episode bothered Claire for the next two days.  
The CCTV had shown nothing unusual and other rooms and wards had not been affected by the odd power outage. Only that room, only the one in which Johnny had received marks that had needed washing and dressing. She had talked it over with the other staff and Dr Mason, all of them writing it off as a self inflicted injury and nothing more even though her mind told her that it should have been impossible.  
“These people will hurt themselves, more so Johnny. I told you self harm was his thing.”  
Claire nodded slowly as they paused at the room where George resided. The doctor seemed completely calm and it was easy to feel comforted by his words and yet….She had mentioned Johnny’s two friends to her boss and Claire was now intrigued to hear what he thought. It was a small lead but anything that would help her understand Johnny ‘s psychosis was a good thing.  
“George came in the same day as Johnny.”  
They stared at the old man rocking on the bed, his eyes fixed on the floor. The room was white and blinding as the sun shone brightly through the barred window. It made the lines on his face appear harsher, more pronounced and Claire felt pity go through her system. He was non functioning, hardly ever able to make verbal communication and she wondered again what a vibrant man like Johnny saw to converse with in this frightened figure.  
“He’s harmless, no history of violence but I don’t understand what draws Johnny in.”  
Dr Mason nodded, making a note on his pad.  
“Johnny likes the company more than a conversation I think.”  
“Is it the same with Lily?”  
A frown crossed Mason’s face.  
“No, I have never seen him even approach Lily.”  
“That’s odd, he was adamant those were his two friends.”  
They continued to walk along the corridor until they came to the residents lounge. It was a huge room, littered with sofas and stations for patients to read books or watch the televisions that were bolted to the floor. Claire could see Johnny over in one corner, his legs folded up under him as he read a book. Again she was struck by the calm coming off him, it was so rare and she realised that it was this that made him so interesting. People did not tend to be calm in mental hospitals, even the dangerous ones that didn’t move much gave off that feeling of insanity. Johnny did not, he merely seemed to be waiting for something.  
He didn’t acknowledge them, merely continuing to read and ignore the chatter around him. It was the usual babble of voices and Claire searched the room for the old woman, wanting to see if she could work out why Johnny would talk to Lily. She found her in the other corner next to a tired looking woman holding a ragdoll, there was no communication between them until Lily went to grab it and the screaming started.  
“Damn, here we go…”  
Mason left her side, already reaching into his pocket for the capped syringe as the two women fought a pitched battle over the doll. Lily had the legs and was screaming obscenities at the other woman who screamed at a higher and higher pitch as the orderlies tried to pull them apart. Claire turned back to look and saw that Johnny was watching and George had appeared at his side. Neither registered either fear or surprise but watched silently unlike the rest of the room that was either hooting or trying to break up the fight.  
“Claire, can you give me a hand?”  
“Of course…”  
The young woman shook herself out of her reverie and stepped forward, catching the woozy woman Lily had been fighting and half dragging her out of the firing line with the help of an orderly. Lily continued to spit and curse, the sedative having little effect until a second was added and she stated to slump. Despite being in her late seventies and rail thin the woman seemed incredibly strong and just for a second her gaze caught Claire’s and time seemed to stop.  
There was no madness there, only a wry humour and it was terrifying.  
Claire dropped the other woman and blinked, the smile lost in that second as the two orderlies managed to drag Lily away and Mason turned his attention back to the other patient. Claire shook her head and helped him almost absent mindedly until she could look around and see order restored. The incident had taken less than five minutes but it seemed like a lifeline.  
“Do you want to talk to Johnny again?”  
Claire nodded, forcing a smile on her face.  
“Yes, he seems to enjoy our sessions and I think I am making progress.”  
“Well I’m very impressed.”  
The older doctor clapped Claire on the shoulder and she smiled, the fight almost forgotten as she found a room and waited for Johnny to be brought in. His smile was not there, the normally evervesant personality lost. He regarded her carefully, the scratches now livid on his pale face as she frowned in concern.  
“Are you okay Johnny?”  
He shook his head, his hair falling forward.  
“Time is running out. We need to leave.”  
“We?”  
He stared at her, for the first time a little madness and desperation showing in his eyes.  
“You and me.”  
Claire smiled, keeping calm was a trick and she was quietly pleased that she had pulled his psychosis from him. Johnny merely continued to stare at the door, it had been decided it was time to go and he was anxious for the break out to begin. Taking the girl with him was a risk but that was the order so there was no argument. He lazily smiled back.  
“It can’t be helped, all part of the plan.”  
“Johnny, tell me more about the plan….”  
The lights started to flicker again and this time she wasn’t scared, expecting the power to be restored was her automatic reaction and she made a note to talk about this power issue to the boss. It was so inconvenient every time she was just getting somewhere. The annoyance died on her face as she realised that again she could see Lily behind Johnny’s chair. This time the vision didn’t blink away in the seconds and the old woman remained all too visible and real. Both patients stared at her and even though it should be impossible, Claire found herself stammering out the question.  
“H-How did you get in here?”  
There was no answer, the old woman merely smiled as Johnny tried to calm things down, this was always going to be awkward and he could feel the room closing in on them.  
“As I said, the plan. Don’t panic but this might shock you.”  
Claire straightened up, furious as the smirks on their faces as Lily pushed her hair out of her eyes and stared at her. The intercom did not work and when she tried to summon the front desk on her pager that didn’t work either. Neither of the two inmates moved as she went to the door, frowning as she realised it was locked. Johnny tapped his fingers on the table, the other hand reaching to his shoulder to lightly run over Lily’s fingers.  
“Show her who you are Lily….”  
The lights brightened and now Claire felt a scream lodge in her throat. The wild haired old woman was bathed in a glow, her face changing as she straightened up and untwisted her body. The brittle grey hair tamed itself into a rolling wave of dark curls as her face became the unlined one of a woman in her twenties. The face was strong and yet pretty, her eyes glowing a dark red as the hospital gown was replaced by black leathers and finally she put a hand out.  
“Lilith, mother of demons, guard of this idiot and you…huh. Anyways, lets be going. Some of Satan’s little helpers just twigged about seal number one.”  
“I…..don’t understand.”  
Johnny stood up, he looked stronger than Claire remembered and very focused as he wrapped an arm around her and then reached out for the other woman.  
“You soon will but we have a Syn to call forth.”  
Every electrical device in four blocks died as huge amounts of energy poured into the little room and its three occupants disappeared in a flash of divine light. Nothing in the hospital would even remember that they had ever been there.


	4. Behold The White Horse

The dusty truck stop had been in the middle of nowhere for sixty years and it looked like it would still be nowhere in another sixty. The desert was still too rough, to deadly for civilisation to encroach too far and it seemed that even the road was scared. The tarmac looped and rolled through the scrubby and sand driven landscape as if it wanted to get away and most of the travellers on it had the same thoughts.  
That was why the diner and garage did so well. Hot and thirty travellers who wanted a break and to check the damage the desert was doing to both their vehicles and their bodies. The food was good, warm and homemade in a way that made some of them wistful for the simpler times gone by. To most however, the iced coffees and air conditioning were what they craved and as the sun rose higher so did the flow of traffic.  
The heat didn’t bother the man riding a low slung motorbike at ninety along the highway. The machine purred and hummed, the engineering made by man but the rider now anything but. He wore no helmet, messy black hair tugged by the wind as he pressed his foot down a little more. His tee shirt rippled in the wind, the cut away sleeves revealing a riot of colour that flowed down onto his hands. He rode with a practised ease, his eyes shaded by sunglasses. Along the gas tank of the bike was a stylised title…  
WHITE RIDER  
Syn didn’t need to stop, he still could and did drink since he had returned but it wasn’t really needed, just a base memory from what had been before. It was part nostalgia and part knowing that made him pull into the diner. A solid hamburger and a cold beer on such a hot day had been a delight and he wanted to repeat it again and wait there for the power that he knew was coming. He could feel that Johnny was close, that all the pieces were in position and soon his work could begin.  
It was almost an erotic thought.  
He drew the motorbike into the car park and stretched as he walked towards the diner. Syn looked different now, still handsome and young with the cocky grin that people fell in love with. There was just something fathomless in those chocolate brown eyes. He could look into a man’s soul and see what was there, see all the corruption and all the purity and soon he would be able to burn it out of them along with his brothers.  
“Cheeseburger and fries please, you got any beer?”  
The brassy waitress tried to pick her jaw up from the counter at the beautiful man in front of her and just shook her head. Syn smiled.  
“Coffee will do….Sharon.”  
Syn pulled his eyes up from her nameplate straining on its pin that anchored it to some impressive breasts and slid onto the bar stool at the worn out counter. The place was heaving and busy, the other bar stools occupied mostly by truck drivers and haggard tourists. There was a low hum of chatter that Syn tuned out as he listened to his mind.  
C’mon short shit, let’s do this thing.  
You have no patience Gates.  
Start the apocalypse already.  
Nearly there….fuck.  
Syn smiled to himself at the flash of pain in his head and wondered which part of Johnny that came from as the waitress put the coffee down in front of him and gave him her best smile. He fought not to wince and smiled back, his fingers idly stirring the spoon in the black liquid and he breathed in the sweet vapours. Place might look like shit but they sure knew how to make coffee.  
“That’s a nice bike.”  
Syn looked up, three men stood on the other side of the counter watching him.  
“Thanks, its one of a kind.”  
“How much you want for it?”  
The waitress nervously shushed them as she put the loaded plate down in front of the handsome boy. He picked out a fry and added ketchup to the plate before responding. His voice was low and still friendly but adamant.  
“Sorry, she’s not for sale. It would be like selling my horse.”  
The tallest of the men was the diner’s owner, a swarthy man in is fifties who had the build of a man half his age. He leant on the cracked plastic of the counter and looked the visitor. He had seen this type before, California street punks who thought their money and nice rides entitled them to something. He and his sons could find a good buyer for that bike and the snot nosed bitch in front of him would disappear into a desert grave.  
“Well that’s a mighty shame son….”  
Syn stared at him, seeing what he intended and taking in the two heavily set sons that just added to the illusion of intimidation. He could hear Matt laughing in his mind, even when they had been mortal it would have been no problem for him and his friends to take these bastards down. Now it would be like playing with bugs and Syn had more important things to do.   
“I could do with a tune up while I’m here though.”  
The boss flashed him a tobacco stained grin and nodded happily.  
“Sure thing, how’s eighty bucks sound?”  
Sharon tried to shake her head at the customer at the risk of earning herself a beating later on. Her pa knew nothing about bikes or anything else that involved talent. He was just a dumb man who had struck lucky and she didn’t want the customer to pay for it.  
“Fifty.”  
“Sixty five.”  
Syn shrugged, finishing his coffee and smirking at the waitress to get another. The sky was darkening outside, the previously brilliant blue sky disappearing behind a roiling bank of clouds. Nobody in the diner really paid much attention, the heat had not dropped and their attention was being taken by the confrontation at the counter. It did feel like the minutes before a thunderstorm, an outpouring of electrical energy that seemed to build around them until everyone was watching as Syn stood up.  
His mind had stopped thinking about the mortals at all. It had happened, he could feel the power in his veins and here Johnny’s voice in his head.  
“It’s done.”  
Two simple words but Syn knew his time had come. It was time to repay the debt of being saved and reborn. Time to fulfil his destiny and that of his brothers. He was Conquest and now he would set out in search of Matt, Zacky and Jimmy. Together they would bring down the corruption of the mortals and the more important battles could begin. Mentally he told Johnny where to take the two women, the rendezvous point, before turning his mind back to the three men now backing him into a corner.  
“Your sales pitch needs work.”  
The owner’s grin was now unpleasant, the customers looking away and remarking on the darkening crowd outside. Anything to avoid looking at something that could so easily turn violent. Syn ran a hand through his hair, wishing he had his bandanna as the man squared up to him.  
“That’s an insult that will cost you that bike. Fucking queer, your boyfriend give it to you?”  
“No, he prefers 1950’s cars….”  
The man’s smile faltered as Syn bunched his knuckles and looked around.  
“You want to do this here? Plenty of witnesses.”  
The two sons pushed forward, a blond shoving Syn in the chest as the other picked up a baseball bat that the waitress kept under the bar. Nobody was looking their way now, everyone remarking on the flashes of lightening that were bouncing off the tarmac road outside. Thunder roared as Syn grinned picked up the blond by the hair.  
“Well if you insist….”  
The second son came rushing forward, Syn didn’t miss a beat and tripped him into three fat tourists from Florida without letting go of the swearing, kicking teen. The father came rushing towards them as the fight rippled outward and the other customers tried to get out of the way. All the diner’s doors locked themselves, frightening the customers even more until screaming and shouting drowned out the natural sounds from outside. Syn grabbed the father by the throat with his other hand and bellowed a single word.  
“ENOUGH!!!”  
Everything froze, people and sound stilled by the command. The two men he held still struggled as everything turned back to face the beautiful and frightening man in their midst. All of them could feel in themselves that he was not one of them, not of the world and yet all wanted to stare at him. Syn grinned and shook the two men again.  
“I am Conquest, I have come to make you kneel before the second coming. So?”  
As one thirty people knelt, still staring up at him. The flashes of lightening were almost constant as a deluge of rain struck the building and the mile surrounding it. The thunder seemed to echo everywhere and between the strobing flashes of light there was a pitch black. The customers felt their eyes sting and water, the noise battering as it was joined by screaming.   
The two men had stopped struggling and now locusts and spiders burst from their mouths, thousands of them, dropping onto the people and floor of the diner. Syn giggled as they tried to run, beating on doors and windows as the insects covered them. Syn picked up his burger with a satisfied grin and waited as the rain slowed down along with the screaming. He stepped out and locked the door behind him, enjoying the taste of meat and onions as he mounted the bike and drew a deep breath.  
It had begun and now he had to find Johnny.


	5. The G-Man and The Plan

“So….you’re trying to tell me that God is a nerd.”  
“Well, not exactly. He just likes making things and gets carried away. Since someone down here invented Dungeons and Dragons we’ve hardly seen him.”  
Claire leant forward and looked at Lily to see if she was joking. The other woman was straight faced and humming to the radio as Johnny drove them out of the city and headed east towards Nevada. The breaking of the seal had been easy once they had located the document itself. Any disbelief that Claire had harboured was now gone as she had watched Lily walk unseen past the guards of a huge national museum to take an ancient artefact.  
Lily had been more amused by her face and the fact that it was labelled as a Sumerian piece….one large paper with seven seals and nobody had noticed?? This had led to a discussion that Claire had found enlightening. The bible was not what anyone had been intending (never let shepherds write for you), God was bi and the whole Satan thing was a lovers tiff of EPIC proportions (yes, he likes guys too, you’re moulded in his image so of course homosexuality is just fine) and that really God just wanted everyone to be happy.  
“What about original sin and all that?”  
Lily yawned and prodded Johnny awake. The car swerved a little.  
“That was my fault, the first husband was a bitch and when that Eve came along….”  
“But he’s about to end the world.”  
Now Johnny did laugh and they pulled over to change drivers. Claire had offered to take a turn and was glad to have something to concentrate on rather than a conversation on divinity that seemed to have taken the most surreal of turns. Lily opened a few bags of sweets and settled back, her feet perched on the dash of the top of the range jeep they had “borrowed”.  
“Revelations isn’t so much about death as rebirth. The planet is overcrowded, the animals are being wiped out and you lot are owned by bankers and assholes. So we’re the cleansing squad. The big man is pissed about what you did with his model and we get the fun of clearing it up.”  
Johnny consulted the map and answered his now blaring phone as Claire struggled to understand how wiping out most of the population could be a good thing. The hours since they had left the hospital had blurred into a rush of wind and tarmac, her emotions buzzed and her mind ringing.  
“Gates, how’s it going?”  
“I found him, we were right about Reno so get here and open the seal. We got company coming in fast from the east and we need Matt.”  
Lily leant over and spoke into Johnny’s phone.  
“Book us a room baby.”  
“You know it sweet thing.”  
Johnny snatched the phone back and hung up, pulling a face at the dark haired woman.  
“We’re working!”  
“Screwing Gates is working. Claire, you are gonna love Zacky.”  
Claire blushed and tried to concentrate on the road as the bickering increased and she was reminded of travelling with two small children who seemed to enjoy winding each other up. To take their minds off it she poked Lily in the knee and smirked.  
“So if this is a tiff, why is Satan trying to stop us?”  
The demon girl shook out her hair, the shade changing by a couple of degrees so there was more of a blue sheen to it. The thing was complicated and she struggled to find the right words to describe the battles that had happened and the implications.  
“Satan…well he didn’t take the break up well and he wants to destroy what God made here. He wants you all to suffer and the planet to get all fucked. Its his way of getting back at Gee, that’s all but obviously not where you are concerned.”  
“Is there a hell?”  
Lily shrugged, personally she didn’t fancy sharing that apartment.  
“Yes, again its not as you think. The basic message of love one another and be a good person is all you need to get into heaven. Show you have lived honestly and not been an asshole. From what I hear the other way has all the demons I don’t like and no blackjack or hookers.”  
Johnny laughed so hard they had to bang him on the back and another few hours of endless roads drifted away. They found an all night garage and stocked up on food and water, the two mortals allowed to sleep as Lily took over the driving and headed into Nevada. She knew where the first horseman would be and looked forward to reuniting Conquest and War.  
Dawn was slowly making its way onto the streets as they finally hit the next stop. Lily let her new friends continue to sleep and followed her instincts, there was no map needed when it came to finding the man that now hummed with power and she smiled, seeing now why War himself would have been drawn to this place. Several of the roads had cordons, the police out in force even this early and she could smell chaos in the air.  
“Where are we?”  
“Reno, right in time for a big rally at the University of Nevada.”  
Claire rubbed her eyes and sat up in her seat, her back protesting and now she was grateful for the clean clothes they had picked up at the last spot. She started to take notice of the time, eight a.m, and that there were people on the streets with placards and bullhorns.  
“Is that important?”  
“Yes. It’s going to turn into a riot and Matt is here. Once we break the seal, we have two horsemen and can start making an impact.”  
Johnny stretched too, feeling Gates was now close and watching the police and hoards of people as Lily carefully guided the car around the streets. It took them an hour to reach a non-descript street that was playing host to something completely beyond its understanding. Syn was sat on the bike, chatting to Matt on the phone and patiently waiting. He knew his friend was ready and could feel the power building, what mattered was uniting them in case the opposition dropped by.  
“They’re here. You’ll feel it when we break the seal.”  
Syn smiled at the laugh down the phone, Matt’s voice amused.  
“Will the earth move?”  
“Its me, the earth always moves.”  
“Fuck you Gates, later.”  
Syn smirked and pocketed the phone, waving as the jeep pulled up. Johnny was leaning out of the window like an over-enthusiastic puppy and the two men embraced, Lily retrieving the box containing the scroll from the back of the car. Claire could do nothing but stare, she had seen this man’s autopsy photos and yet here he was, perfect and handsome in the sun. Not a mark betrayed his death and she could feel the power radiating outwards. It was terrifying and yet she had to grin as Lily pushed Johnny out the way and planted a huge kiss on Syn.  
“Put him down. Syn, meet Claire.”  
Syn looked the girl up and down with a friendly smile.  
“Oh yes, Zacky will love her.”  
“She’s such a hot little spirit.”  
Claire huffed, not quite liking the way they were pairing her off although she remembered the picture of the handsome man with the snakebites. Johnny patted her on the back and slung his arm around her. Lily just smiled and patted Gates on the ass.  
“Ignore them. What’s the plan?”  
Syn walked them to the top of the road and pointed down. The university plaza where the demo was being held had already filled up and now they could hear the faint sounds of music and chanting protestors. Syn pointed down to the building on the left and sighed, the fight below would not be pretty and the opposition had sent outriders too it seemed.  
“Matt is down there and we have spotted some of the minions of the other guy. Its going to kick off big time, they are using the mortals to channel through. The weak ones anyway. They will feel it when we break the seal.”  
Johnny swallowed nervously and for the first time Claire felt a shiver of fear.  
“You can handle them?”  
“Once Matt’s power is released, easily and we will kick of a riot and war that will spread outward. It will enable Zacky to prepare and we can follow it east to meet him.”  
Claire noticed that Lily was watching the scene below with something approaching sadness. She put out a hand and touched her shoulder.   
“Are you okay?”  
“Yes. I can always tell when the big guy is upset. He never wanted this and now its too late to stop.”  
Lily hugged Claire and walked over to the box. The morning sun had climbed a little and she paused, drinking in the fresh cool air and the last few minutes of peace that humanity would know for a while. She would keep Claire and Johnny safe, they were needed in the grand plan for after all this ended, whether it would be enough remained to be seen. The document felt light in her hand as she handed it to Syn and they locked eyes. His eyes shone in the sun and she could see the faint ethereal armour that covered him although the mortals would see nothing but jeans and tee. His hair drifted into his eyes on the breeze and she reached out, pushing it back.  
“We best get on with it then.”  
Syn took a breath, mentally telling Matt it was time.  
“Stick together and keep well back.”  
The wax seal was just below the first and he gently cracked it, feeling the release of power and vengeance as a smoke drifted into the air. Immediately the clouds started to gather and Lily ushered Johnny and Claire into the doorway of the nearest building as the wind picked up around Syn and he walked forward and down the hill.  
Now the battle could really begin.


	6. War

When the survivors looked back they would say it all began with the Reno Riot.  
A peaceful demonstration against government financial policy somehow turned and nobody later could point out why. Very few people noticed the two well built young men that walked among the protesters, one movie star handsome and the other tall and intimidating despite the dimpled smile. Matt Shadows had been a force to be reckoned with in life and now he had the power of a god. He embraced Syn, the look exchanged between them was one of love and pure mischief.  
“Do we have company?”  
Matt nodded, pointing his friend towards two men on the other side of the square. They were watching, their eyes occasionally flashing red as they sneered at the Horsemen. Minor demon possession only, Matt knew that the first sign of his power and the demons would leave the human host. It would just add some fun to the fireworks.  
“Scouting party only. Where’s the gnome?”  
“Up there, you know we don’t want Lilith running riot and there is the girl to think off.”  
Matt grinned, grabbing Syn into another hug.  
“The one Zacky was promised?”  
Syn smirked, certain promises had been extracted from the boss if they did their job well and that was just one of them. He glanced up towards where he had left his friends and then back at the chanting crowd. More and more police were gathering at the other end of the square. The tension was now palpable, not helped by the fear and anger the two horsemen were feeding the crowd. It was loud and getting louder all of the people starting to push forward.  
“Yeah, she’s sweet. Pretty damn sexy too.”  
Matt grinned, watching a man screaming in the face of one of the policemen. He lifted his hand, a small and roiling ball of fire building as Syn leant back and watched. It was a single spark, the start of War and his best buddy Conquest. All it needed was to be launched and then they could get to work. Matt waited for just the right moment, the crowd yelling and the tension building to a peak , his view now focused as he let go.  
The small fire arched up into the air and flew a short distance to land between the pair of men that Matt had been watching. It exploded up the policeman’s leg exactly as a petrol bomb would, catching his trousers alight as the protester screamed and stepped back. A real petrol bomb followed it, the protesters seemingly waiting on that signal to attack. The forward surge did not affect either Matt or Syn, they simply strolled behind it, neither man standing out and yet hard not to notice. Matt was taller and broad, both of them well muscled and now intent on going after the possessed humans. The ethereal armour that Syn’s demon lover had seen was even more intricate on Matt, a helm on his head made him even taller and he looked forward to when his brothers would join him and the Horsemen would show themselves.  
Syn grabbed one of the protesters and shoved him into a passing policeman, another violent response kicking off as teargas canisters were sent into the crowd. Now the panic was rising and the two demons roared at them, screeching out in anger at the waves of power now pulsing through the crowds. Matt didn’t wait, didn’t try and reason with them at all, there was really no point. Instead he picked them up by the neck, one in each hand, and dashed them into the wall. Syn giggled at the explosion of blood and brain matter, gingerly stepping over it as he worked his way deeper into the mass crowds of humanity.  
“They’re having all the fun.”  
Lily had walked forward to the barrier and lent over, watching the two immortals as they sparked fight after fight, the humans all too quickly turning on each other. The police were outnumbered, there had been little violence expected as these things usually went of quietly. Now they scrambled to order reinforcements. The crowd was growing too as more and more people surged into the square, when thinking about it later very few of them were sure why.  
“Any demons?”  
“Not now, they fled when Matt brained those two.”  
She pointed Johnny’s gaze down to the two corpses and then pulled him back as an explosion rent the air. Matt was at the front of the crowd and launching larger balls of fire. It was a police car that had exploded and she remembered Syn’s instructions to keep back. Claire was shivering in the doorway, the shock starting to set in. Johnny removed his coat and put it around her shoulders, he knew how hard it was to accept at first.  
Lily continued to watch the riot and its spread into the streets. Syn had taken one road, Matt the other as they pushed and motivated the fight to spread more and more rapidly. Claire could hear the shouts and screams, curiosity meaning that she ended up there too. The three of them stood together, none of them questioning what was going on below.   
“So many people….”  
The bodies were now piling up and she watched as something else started to happen, grabbing Johnny’s arm.  
“Look.”  
“Fuck…what is that?”  
Lilith stared down at the black mass of cloud that was approaching the back of the crowd, it seemed to touch the people and she felt the shiver of evil that radiated out. Clearly Satan was upping the odds, the greasy, beardy little shit, and looking to attack her friends from behind. Her eyes glowed black, making Claire and Johnny jump as she turned back to them.  
“Get in the car and lock the door. I will cloak you so you will stay hidden while I warn Matt and Syn. Whatever you do don’t let the scroll fall into their hands. If you need to, just drive away and we will find you.”  
She pushed them back towards the vehicle, a scrap of paper pressed into a protesting Johnny’s hands.  
“We can help.”  
“You can release Zacky if needed, he’s cooling his heels in Arizona.”  
Johnny was still protesting as Lily shut the door, Claire pulling him back. She left them, speeding down the hill and keeping watch on the growing crowd of possessed people that spat and bit at those around them. It wasn’t hard to follow the trail of destruction that lead to Matt, mentally calling out to Syn too.  
“You got company coming up fast. Looks like the bitch is infecting the tail enders.”  
Matt turned, his hands and face now bloodstained and grinned, catching Lily into a hug.  
“And hello to you. I needed a real fight.”  
“You need the scroll out of here. We don’t have Zack or Jimmy yet.”  
Matt nodded, throwing another cop into a screeching horde of protesters as they headed back the way that they had come. The streets were now a mess of bodies and blood, some of the bystanders dragging the wounded and dying away towards makeshift first aid stations. Even some of the buildings were now burning and that had little to do with the immortals.  
“Get them away Lily, me and Syn can have a little more fun and catch you up.”  
Syn appeared in front of them, like Matt a little bloodstained but already holding a demon possessed body in his hands. The head appeared to be missing and he looked a little puzzled which set of Matt laughing and even Lily had to pause.  
“It rolled that way.”  
Syn’s eyes lit up, the body discarded as he hugged her.  
“This is great, more of a fight.”  
She pinched his ass, hands wandering a little more as she was pinned between the men. It was exciting and erotic, that much was true but she had to make them focus so Lily did it in the only way she knew how and boxed their ears. Reaching up to do it kinda spoiled the effect, she was not tall but both of them suddenly looked like cowed schoolboys as the riot continued around them.  
“Claire and Johnny need to get out of here.”  
Another explosion shook the ground as the fight continued to grow. Syn reached out and kissed his woman, his eyes serious and Matt’s arms around her waist.  
“Go now. Take them to Arizona and find Zacky.”


	7. The Scales of Justice

Zacky stared blearily at the ceiling, a grin lifting his face.  
He had no idea what day it was, where he was exactly or who the two women were who were currently sucking his cock. He did remember the high grade cocaine and bottle of whiskey, that part had started a really good night. Just the rest of it that was hazy but he was sure there had been a strip joint at one point. He looked down and tried to remember their names.  
“Fuck, don’t stop….”  
The blonde winked at him and Zacky stuck the joint back in his mouth and inhaled, letting the smoke mix with the pleasure radiating out of his groin. Part of him knew he should be getting his stuff together and waiting for Johnny to roll in and break the seal but he had decided to have one last night of really good fun before the work began. It had been a different experience for him, their deaths and rebirths hadn’t robbed him of his memories of the accident like it had the others.  
In fact they were now worse.  
Zacky had lived through it, dying a day later in the hospital and now he could remember every detail of that twenty four hours. It didn’t exactly haunt him but the pain and fear had pushed themselves into his mind and being back and alive again….well, he sure as hell didn’t want to go through that again. Hence when the big guy had asked him to do this gig with his friends there had been conditions and one of those was Claire.  
He had been lonely before, his love for Syn always tempered by the knowledge that he needed female company as well and that was where his friend had the advantage. Without Syn by his side he had always been rather shy and now he had asked for that one thing, that one person who would see past it and see the man beneath.  
That man was currently enjoying his orgasm and let all the thoughts leave his head as the chemical high mixed with the physical and he giggled, grasping the two women to him as they littered kisses over the tattoos on his chest. Zacky was happy, aware that the time was coming when he would dispense his own brand of justice to the world. Just right now he wanted to sleep….and come down….and maybe play some more.  
“Well, I can certainly say I found you.”  
The two girls screeched and turned, Zacky opening half an eye and then closing it again.  
“Hi Lilith, you’re early.”  
“You know how it is when Matt and Syn get together.”  
The demon turned her gaze to the two women and they fled, gathering clothes and just running. They would remember nothing of the evening or the handsome man that had taken them back to his room. Lilith watched him and then sighed, heading into the bathroom and turning on the taps as she spoke over her shoulder.  
“Claire is downstairs.”  
There was a loud thump and she giggled as a few choice swearwords followed it. Zacky had good taste, had to give him that. The hotel was one of the nicest in Flagstaff and his room looked out over the town and towards the Grand Canyon. He had no need of mortal money now and had clearly been taking advantage of it. However, Lilith and Johnny needed him sober if they were to break the seal and she wanted Claire to see the handsome boy at his best.  
Which really wasn’t slumped against the bathroom door.  
“How do I look?”  
Lilith took one arm, Zacky expecting to be helped rather than promptly tripped into the bath of cold water. Lilith was soaked by the splashing, cursing and general spluttering until his head surfaced again and the green eyes had some clarity back to them. He coughed out some more water and pushed his hair back out of her eyes before looking up at the dark haired girl that was sending him a cheery smile from the doorway.  
“You’re a bitch.”  
“Yeah but you don’t want to meet Claire like that and we have work to do. Now get dressed.”  
Lilith left him to it, heading back down to the bar where Claire and Johnny were also enjoying the hospitality. It had taken a couple of brandies to calm them down after the drive away from Reno. They had been followed for quite a while, eventually forcing Lilith to unleash a little demonic response of their own. After that it had quieted down and they had listened on the radio as the riot consumed the rest of the city. Matt and Syn had cleared the place, the population more than halved and the opposition pushed back as they entered Arizona.  
“He’s on his way down.”  
Claire blinked, the brandy burning her throat as she passed Lilith a shot.  
“Then what?”  
“We release Zacky and open the seal. Best to take him with us to release Jimmy. Once that happens all hell will quite literally break loose and we will need to meet up with Matt and Syn.”  
Johnny was quiet, thinking all the options through. It was a harder thing to do than with the others. The seal that kept Jimmy from them wasn’t on the scroll they had with them, it was built into a wall on the side of a tomb in New Mexico. There was a lot of fighting to come and they needed Jimmy with them before Satan unleashed everything he had.  
“Cheers…”  
Four glasses clinked together and Claire looked up at the man who now stood next to her. Their eyes locked and she couldn’t look away. He was devastating, snakebites gleaming as he smiled and his face lit up. Johnny pulled a face as they continued to stare wonderingly at each other. Lilith gave him another shot.  
“You want the room next to them?”  
“Fuck no…”  
Zacky giggled and hugged Claire, the girl tucking into his arms like they were made for her as he looked at his shorter friend. He hadn’t seen Johnny since the resurrection and it was like coming home. Claire shrugged at Lilith as he released her to grab the short man and almost strangle him.  
“You got smaller.”  
“Fuck you Zack.”  
“Maybe later. Where are the other two, I saw Reno?”  
Lilith pulled the chairs up to the table and quickly filled Zacky in as Johnny went out to the car to fetch the box containing the scroll and the roadmap. He sent Claire to buy more supplies with the money Zacky had given him and it was left to Lilith to run her fingers over the last seal on the wrinkled paper. They could feel the power in the room growing and also something a lot darker heading their way.   
“Do it. I am going to get us to Jimmy.”  
Lilith nodded at Zacky, Johnny gathering the returning Claire to him as the seal cracked. Nobody else in the bar could see the glow surrounding the handsome man in the bow tie, how it glowed and settled on him. Zacky felt it flowing through his muscles and stretched, his eyes settling on his friends with a bemused grin.  
“Wow. That’s quite something.”  
“Are you ready to go?”  
Zacky nodded and they quickly picked up their possessions, heading back out into the night. They abandoned the car, Johnny managing to liberate them a large four by four which would take more supplies and gear. Zacky went into the hunting shop unseen by the staff and took rifles, handguns, anything he thought might be useful as well as a large axe.  
Claire waited outside for him, the attraction so immediate and strong that she liked just looking at him. He dropped the lot at her feet and didn’t hesitate, sweeping her into his arms to kiss her, both of them caught up in the moment. His lips on hers took her breath, a moan coming involuntarily as he enjoyed the feel of her body pressed against him.  
“I’m getting us through this. You and me.”  
Claire smiled, her eyes locked on his.”  
“I don’t understand this, we just met.”  
He smirked and kissed her again.  
“Great huh?”  
Claire laughed and grabbed his hand. The air outside was getting heavy as a storm drew in and people were now talking of Reno in flames and the chaos now spreading. Lilith could hear Syn in her head, he and Matt were cleaning house and would meet them at the border of New Mexico. Once they were together again they could raise Jimmy.  
Death would stalk the land.


End file.
